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Burroughs Football Star Ezekiel Elliott Headed To San Antonio For U.S. Army All-American Bowl

JBS senior is flying to Texas on Sunday morning, after being selected to play in the nation?s premier high school football all-star game, which will be televised nationwide on January 5 on NBC.

By Cedric Williams
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December 29, 2012

While many of his teammates and classmates will be celebrating New Year?s in the typical fashion high school kids do, John Burroughs football star Ezekiel Elliott will be ringing in 2013 in a way very few ever get to do.

The JBS senior, who starred as a running back/kick returner for a Bombers teams that made three straight trips to the Missouri Class 3 state championhip game, and amassed more than 3,000 all-purpose yards and scored 50 touchdowns this past season alone, has been invited to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl on January 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

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The U.S. Army All-American Bowl, which is widely considered the nation's premier high school football all-star game, will feature 90 of the best schoolboy players in the country, in a classic East vs. West matchup that will be broadcast live on NBC.

"It's just an honor to be selected, and to be considered one of the best players in the nation," Elliott said from the visitor's locker room at Chaminade College Prep in Creve Coeur, where he and his Bomber basketball teammates spent the week competing in the Chaminade Christmas Tournament.

"I'm really excited. I can't wait to get down there. I think it's just going to be a lot of fun," Elliott, ranked by Rivals.com as the 9th best running back in the class of 2013, and the 77th best overall, said.

In April, he gave a verbal pledge to play for Urban Meyer at Ohio State University

Elliott, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Offensive Player of the Year this season, and likely choice for Missouri state Player of the Year, received the news that he had been named to the U.S. Army All-American squad back in the fall, before JBS' 2012 season had even ended.

'Zeke', as he's called by family and friends, has known for some time that he would be playing in the game this year.

He'll be a member of the West squad and will wear jersey No. 24.

The only hard part for Zeke so far, has been just waiting for the game date to actually get here.

"I'm leaving on Sunday, and they told me that I'll used kind of in as an all-purpose back," Elliott said. "I'll play running back. I'll play in the slot. I'll get to return kicks. They said they're going to use me a lot. I just can't wait to get down there to see how it goes."

Ezekiel Elliott Rapidly Becoming A Star At U.S. Army All-American All-Star Game

Burroughs senior is one of 90 players chosen to play in the nation's premier high school all-star football game, but has become the poster boy for many of the games TV and magazine advertisements.

By Cedric Williams

John Burroughs senior Ezekiel Elliott has been selected as one of the posterboys for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this week. Here, he is seen unveiling the new ADIDAS cleats the players will wear in Saturday's all-star game, which will be televised by NBC.Credit US.ArmyAll-Stargame
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John Burroughs senior Ezekiel Elliott has been selected as one of the posterboys for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl this week. Here, he is seen unveiling the new ADIDAS cleats the players will wear in Saturday's all-star game, which will be televised by NBC.
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The Ohio State players in the game.
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When John Burroughs football star Ezekiel Elliott touched down in San Antonio on Sunday to play in this Saturday's U.S. Army All-American All-Star Game, he had no idea what to expect in the week leading up to the game.

The two-time Missouri all-state performer and St. Louis-area Offensive Player of the Year, who totaled more than 3,000 all-purpose yards and scored 50 touchdowns this past season, knew the U.S. Army folks would be keeping him busy, he just didn't know how.

Well, in his first couple of days down in San Antonio, Elliott has learned that the plan is to feature him not only on the field, but as one of the posterboys for the week, in many of the week's planned television and magazine advertisements.

'Zeke', as he's called by friends and teammates, began his new duties as Army Bowl feature attraction by participating in an autograph session on Monday, in which he and a few other selected players signed more than 400 cards, jerseys, and footballs to commemorate the all-star week.

Then on Tuesday morning, Zeke was again one of the players asked to be on hand when the special ADIDAS game day equipment arrived.

And there's even a new fantastic print ad that will begin running in sports magazines soon, that shows off Zeke's movie-star smile, as he unveiled the new ADIDAS Adizero 5-Star 2.0 cleats the players will wear on Saturday.

There are also expected to be advertisements and photo releases of the players modeling the gameday jerseys and uniforms that they'll wear on Saturday.

Zeke, who will play for the West squad as a running back, slot receiver, kick returner, and possibly some defensive back, will wear No. 24 in what will be his last high school football game.

After Zeke shows out at the AAA, any chance a fifth star is on the way? In the end, it really doesn't matter so long as he is in the S&G; however, it seems that the kid is doing all the right things and by many accounts deserves to be a 5*.

After Zeke shows out at the AAA, any chance a fifth star is on the way? In the end, it really doesn't matter so long as he is in the S&G; however, it seems that the kid is doing all the right things and by many accounts deserves to be a 5*.

Ezekiel Elliott believed there was a spot at running back at Ohio State for him to succeed.

The No. 77 player in the Rivals100 from St. Louis (Mo.) John Burroughs School said his style of play was a need for the Big Ten program.

"The depth chart for Ohio State had a lot of bigger backs," he said. "I really felt like I could come in and be a change-of-pace back and earn playing time early."

The 6-foot, 198-pound back said that Stan Drayton -- his position coach and lead recruiter at Ohio State -- has been honest from the start and that made Elliott feel more confident in his decision.

"They told me that I was the type of back they needed and that if I committed I would be the only back in the class," he said. "When they told me that I committed to seal up my spot, and they haven't been in on anyone else so that really makes me trust them."

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